Marian Platt

November already! This is the month we are most likely to awaken some morning to find a frost has covered the grass like a silver shawl. It has run icy fingers over the nasturtium beds, turned the dahlias black and left the wild blackberry vines frosted purple.

My Farmer's Almanac says that for every fog we had in October, a snow in the winter. And if we had much rain in October, much wind in December.

All this tells me I shall have more time to spend in my kitchen and, with the holiday season before us, I look forward to that. It is now I buy large quantities of nuts, some of which I freeze and the rest I use in many ways.

Nuts add that little touch to so many things, giving a plain dish a look of elegance.

These HONEY-CAYENNE PECANS are good as a snack, ground with pine nuts and mixed with Triple Sec for a quick pie crust, and as a sweet-spicy-crunchy garnish for poached pears.

For 2 1/4 cups of pecans: Line a baking sheet with foil. Melt 1/4 cup unsalted butter in a skillet over medium heat; add 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Stir until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high; add 2 cups pecans and stir constantly until caramel turns deep brown, bubbles vigorously and coats nuts, about 5 minutes. Pour nut mixture onto prepared sheet; cool 1 hour. Coarsely chop pecans. Store airtight at room temperature.

These CANDIED WALNUTS are sweet and crunchy and scrumptious when paired with a creamy Brie or Camembert or sprinkled over a salad. Combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon each salt and red pepper in a bowl. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan; add 2 1/4 cups walnut halves and cook 3 minutes; drain. Immediately place walnuts in bowl with sugar mixture, tossing to coat. Place walnuts in a single layer on a lightly greased jelly-roll pan. Bake in 350-degree oven 20-22 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool completely in pan. Store airtight.

Toasting nuts gives them a golden brown color and a delicious, deep flavor, allowing more intense flavors with fewer nuts. To toast nuts, preheat oven to 350 degrees; spread the nuts in a pie plate or shallow baking dish and bake 5-10 minutes, or until golden and fragrant. Hazelnuts should be rubbed in a kitchen towel to remove their papery skins.



PECAN PIE is a favorite at holiday time - here's one from my Williamsburg Cookbook -

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

One 9-inch pie shell, unbaked

4 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups light corn syrup

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup pecan halves

Beat eggs lightly; add sugar, salt, corn syrup, cooled butter, and vanilla and stir until well-mixed.

Spread pecan halves on bottom crust and cover with the filling.

Place in oven and immediately reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake 40-50 minutes or until mixture is firm in center. Cool before serving.

Here's a favorite for this time of year - APPLE AND SPICED PECAN SALAD - for 4-6 servings, mix 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard with 1/2 cup olive oil, adding salt and pepper to taste. Tear 1 head Boston lettuce and 1 head red leaf lettuce into bite-size pieces and toss with dressing. Sprinkle 1 finely chopped red apple, unpeeled, 1/2 pound crumbled feta cheese, and some spiced pecans over greens and serve.

SPICED PECANS - melt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper and dash hot pepper sauce. Toss with 1-2 cups pecans and toast.

All above recipes from my files.

From my Williamsburg Cookbook, there's a recipe for ZUCCHINI WITH WALNUTS -

Saute 6 medium zucchini, cut in 1/2-inch pieces, in

2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil until tender but not crisp, shaking pan and toss the zucchini with a wooden spoon so that it cooks evenly. Pour off the butter and oil and add to the zucchini 1 cup chopped walnuts, salt and pepper to taste. When the walnuts are well-blended and heated, garnish with a few more walnuts and serve to four.

Walnuts can be a special treat - just a handful, 1/4 of a cup to be exact - will give you all the omega-3 you need in a day. Experts tell us that eating 1 1/2 ounces per day of walnuts as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. Roast them in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes with kosher salt, use them in a quick Waldorf salad, in place of pine nuts in pesto and in cookies.

We'll have rain and wind this month of November and soon the last of the leaves will fall to a wet ground. The once-crisp leaves will roll up like clenched fists, no longer a crunch under foot, now only dark shiny mats of leaves clinging to one's shoe and leaving a musty odor. But keep in mind, when there's thunder in November, a fertile year to come.